Know Your Rights 2.0 - Welcoming the Refugee and Keeping Church Safe

Leader – Rev. Dr. Ellen Clark Clémot
Churches seeking to carry out a mission of welcome and creature care for refugees and other new migrants are faced with frightening challenges in this new era. Knowing your rights and how to implement them is a first step to preserving the basic elements of our religious freedoms in the US. In her webinar presentation, Rev. Dr. Ellen Clark Clemot provides insights to protect church staff and the sanctity of church property in face of new legal challenges, as well as practical tips on how to help the refugee feel more secure in seeking assistance and engaging in community life.  

Ellen Clémot works with churches and other faith-based organizations to navigate laws that affect their mission. As a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and as an attorney in New York City, she has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing not-for-profit organizations. Apart from the ongoing concerns for revenue generation, preservation of tax exempt status, and deferred maintenance issues, churches are facing heightened scrutiny in carrying their traditional mission of welcoming the stranger, especially the refugee. Through her writing, speaking, and preaching, Ellen provides advice on how to safely protect campus spaces, church staff, and the people in need of care. 

Her award-winning book, Discerning Welcome – (Cascade 2022), addresses asylum legislation in the United States as informed by principles of law, ethics, and the Reformed faith tradition. The book is based on her experience serving congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) as Senior Pastor and Head of Staff for over 12 years. Addressing the need for protecting migrant populations, Ellen has returned to law practice as well as teaching church governance (Presbyterian Polity) at Princeton Theological Seminary as an adjunct professor. Her law practice supports churches redeveloping their property in New York State for more sustainable community uses and mission outreach, including supportive housing, senior day care, charter schools, as well as providing modernized worship space. Her clients include the Episcopal Synod of New York and of Long Island, the Lutheran Synod, and the United Methodist Church with many exciting projects underway.